Our Stanley Park Family Jog

by Jen

Activity:

On any given weekend when it’s not pouring rain, at about 9:00 AM, chances are you’ll find my Mom and Dad jogging around the Stanley Park seawall. Mom calls it, “The Best Jog in the World.” A couple of times they’ve dropped hints about me and Coleman joining them on their jog. We usually have better things to do, like sleep. One weekend, I must have had a soft moment, because there I was walking to the washroom at Lost Lagoon at Stanley Park at 8:30 in the morning, so Mom could use the bathroom one last time, even though it was the last thing she did before leaving the house. From there we walked over to Coal Harbour; Coleman and I making sure we were at least 20 feet behind Mom and Dad, just in case we saw somebody we knew. I told him not to, but Coleman insisted on bringing 3 water bottles in a knapsack. Even Mom said it was a bad idea. He’s a typical teenager: always thinks he knows better. Anyway, we started running at a slow pace, and what does Coleman do? takes off like a rocket. This should be interesting, I thought. Mom, Dad, and I were making bets on how far he’d go before conking out. As it turns out, I won. We found him at the Totem Poles, gasping for air, one leg fully extended on the bench. “I hurt my leg,” he said. “That’s the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard,” I replied. Mom volunteered to hang back with Coleman, while Dad and I continued our jog. Dad couldn’t resist telling me his corny joke about the lady in a wetsuit when we ran by the mermaid statue. “That’s only the one hundredth time I’ve heard it Dad,” I told him. Everything was going good until we reached the Lion’s Gate Bridge. I could feel sweat building up on my forehead, and I didn’t want my make-up to start running. I told Dad we needed to stop. He actually had the nerve to tell me I could finish walking by myself, and he would wait for me at the end. He gave me some lame assurances about how I wouldn’t get lost so long I stayed on the paved seawall and didn’t fall in the water. “Very funny.” We eventually caught up with Mom and Coleman at Second Beach. Coleman was feasting on French fries and a coke. “Breakfast of Champions,” I laughed. It was 10:00 AM, and the outdoor pool was opening. I got a kick out of the little kids rushing to be the first one to go down the green turtle slide. Mom was eyeing the two lap lanes on the far side. Luckily she didn’t bring her bathing suit, or we’d be stuck there for another hour. We walked back to the car. I noticed a miraculous recovery in Coleman’s sore leg. He assured me it was still very painful; he just didn’t want to slow us down. I showed Coleman the pictures I took of Siwash rock with a bald eagle perched on top, and the moon rocks at Third Beach. I have to admit Stanley Park is different from any other run I’ve ever been on. First of all, it’s perfectly flat, and second the scenery is hard to beat. One day I’ll go again, probably riding a bike. Coleman wants to try roller blading. That might be fun too; anything but running.

Details:

We're talking about world famous Stanley Park.

Area:

Vancouver

Season:

All seasons